When it comes to driving on Australian roads, it's one thing to pass your test and quite another to learn the true lay of the land once you get behind the wheel of a car.
So in the interest of educating our dear American friends across the Pacific, one Aussie sought to round up the real rules of driving Down Under. In a Reddit thread, user u/wllj asked: "What are some of the uniquely Aussie rules of driving etiquette?"
In the comments, Aussies weighed in with their own helpful, insightful, and downright sarcastic advice for any drivers looking to take to our dusty roads.
Here, we've collated some of the best responses. Take it with a grain of salt (read: good humour) and remember to always drive safely on our roads.
1. "If someone lets you in, give 'em a little wave in your rear view mirror."
—u/UnLachy
"Unfortunately, this etiquette isn't as ubiquitous as it once was."
2. "And if they didn't let you in and you had to force your way in, do it anyway."
"If ever I have to squeeze in front of someone or pull out and cut it a bit fine, etc., I do the arm out the window wave, just to really calm them down."
—u/mullet85
3. "You don't have to pay for fuel first."
—u/chinskaa97
"Yes, this will blow their mind. I remember the opposite when I went to the States where you have to pay first: 'But i don't know how much it will cost?' 🤯."
—u/SampleNo5849
4. "Always wave at the person who gives way at a narrow residential street that allows one car to go through due to cars parked on either side."
—u/dingobattler
5. "Wearing hi-viz in a ute gives you +20km/h, in addition to the speed limit."
6. "Good fucking luck to him trying to figure out our many, many, MANY different parking sign rules and regulations."
—u/wllj
"I'm imagining him being confounded by broken and unbroken yellow lines, and annoyed to hell and back by parking signs consisting of 6+ mini signs of varying colour for different times and conditions."
7. "If a truck in front of you needs to merge, flash your lights to let them know there's enough space (if there is enough space)."
—u/BuzzardRex
8. "Pay it forward at Drive Thru."
—u/tao_of_bacon
9. "Tell them that they can't turn left on a stop light."
—u/YarraYarra
"Unless permitted by sign. The opposite to the US, where the default is it's ok to turn (right) after stopping, unless there's a sign prohibiting it."
—u/DeeJuggle
10. "Have you shown your mate a roundabout? When I used to work in America, there were so many people I met that had no idea what a roundabout was, so you probably should teach or at least show him."
—u/OVIFXQWPRGV
"So much easier than their four-way stops."
"Four-way stops are like when someone with no experience tries to design a solution without even trying to find out if the problem was solved already. It's even more stupid when you realise the rules to priority are basically the same as a roundabout, but the traffic island in the roundabout is more effective at slowing cars down than a sign and a painted line."
—u/invincibl_
11. "Red lights mean red lights. Speed limits mean speed limits."
"Speed limits aren't just helpful suggestions here. They are the limit, and cops can pull you over for doing even a little over the limit."
—u/cir49c29
12. "Stop at pedestrian crossings when a pedestrian looks like they intend to cross."
13. "Shooting someone you think is 'at fault' after a motor vehicle accident is not done here."
—u/SydneyTom
14. "If they're headed to Melbourne, warn your overseas guests about hook turns."
—u/the908bus
15. "For some state-specific advice. Canberra: If you are turning right in 70km, please get into the right lane immediately, and drive 5km below the speed limit, or 4cm from the back number of the next car."
"Sydney: Merging lanes? Do it quickly and brutally, without any warning, like a ninja dispatching a troublesome cat. Indicators are a sign of weakness.
Tasmania: Woah there, slowly now.
South Australia: Ensure that when you give a hitchhiker a lift, you get them to wear their seatbelt, point out interesting tourist sites, and give them a clean death, before you peel, tan, and wear their skin."
"Queensland: Drive so close together your cars transform into a vehicle centipede. Stomp on your brakes at random intervals to make sure everyone in the chain is still awake."
—u/hihover
16. "Do not* use indicators, it will only confuse other drivers — they're viewed like strobe lights and can have bad effects."
—u/FWFT27
*Sarcasm, obvs.
17. "The pedestrian light will be green while the traffic light is also green, so you need to know even though your light is green, you can't go if there is a pedestrian."
—u/778899456
19. "Pedestrians have much more rights here than in the States. Jaywalking laws are far more limited here, and we don't have that uniquely American anti-jaywalking culture."
"When turning at an intersection, pedestrians in the street that you're turning into have right of way. They also have right of way whenever you cross a footpath (sidewalk). It's common to wave pedestrians across in front of you when traffic is really slow."
—u/poornedkelly
20. "If you've passed a cop car with a radar trap, flash your high beams for the next kilometre to forewarn oncoming drivers."
—u/HAPPY_DAZE_1
"Flash highbeams twice if you have recently passed a cop car or speed trap."
—u/HerpVonDerps
21. "If the person behind you is tailgating, zig zagging, making rude gestures towards you, and mouthing profanities, you're most likely not doing anything wrong, and you should just keep driving like normal."
—u/ProDoucher
"And if they tailgate you on a hill, turn your wash and wipers on so they get all the dirty run-off water."
—u/wllj
22. "If you put your blinker on, don't fuck around waiting for the perfect gap. Go. Everyone appreciates decisive driving. It's the wankers who start and hesitate to merge that piss off everyone."
23. "They will need to learn that here we have a 'hand brake,' and we must use it when the car is parked."
—u/Melburnista
"Use the parking break. It's not an emergency break and, by law, must be used in most states in Australia."
24. And finally, this pearl of sarcastic wisdom: "Tailgating is mandatory. Indicators are optional."
What do you think of the Aussie rules of driving etiquette? Any we missed, or any other international habits we should adopt here? Let us know in the comments below!
Reddit responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.